Yerevan, its capital, is the best place to start to access that amazing country, Armenia: the airport, the people who speak English, the transport termini and the more comfortable hotels are all in Yerevan (communicating in Russian will work in most other places).

The earliest country to adopt Christianity as its state religion (before the Roman Empire), Armenia retains a number of well-preserved medieval churches and monasteries in stunning mountain and lakeside settings, and some day soon will probably start selling itself as a ski resort. The amazing Mount Ararat can be seen from the outskirts of Yerevan rising out of the plain: it's just over the border in Turkey, which you should not attempt to cross!

Armenia is one of those countries that has faced threats from large empires on all sides since well before the birth of Christ (most recently the Ottoman empire and the Russians - Armenia is a former Soviet republic). Its two largest borders - with Azerbaijan and Turkey - are still closed following the war over Nagorno Karabakh, which ended for the time being in a ceasefire in 1994.

Nonetheless, American money and French diplomacy (both countries have large Armenian diasporas) have helped bring this country some prosperity and stability in the last 11 years; it is still by far the safest of the Caucasian countries for westerners to visit. Go to meet a warm and fashionable people, marvel at an ancient culture, and muse on the very complex legacy of the old Soviet Union.